MESA Risk Score Calculator

Overview

An accurate estimate of 10-year CHD risk can be obtained using traditional risk factors and CAC.
The MESA risk score, which is available online on the MESA web site for easy use,
can be used to aid clinicians in the communication of risk to patients and when
determining risk-based treatment strategies.

This online calculator is most appropriate for patients in the 45-85 year age
range and in one of the following racial/ethnic groups: Caucasian, Chinese American, African American, or Hispanic.

To use the score you will need information on the following risk factors:

age, gender, race/ethnicity, diabetes (yes/no), current smoker (yes/no), total and HDL cholesterol,
use of lipid lowering medication (yes/no), systolic blood pressure (mmHg),
use of anti-hypertensive medication (yes/no), any family history
of heart attack in first degree relative (parent/sibling/child) (yes/no),
and a coronary artery calcium score (Agatston units).

CAC Score Reference Values

Overview

Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Score Reference Values web tool will provide the
estimated probability of non-zero calcium, and the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th
percentiles of the calcium score distribution for a particular age, gender and
race. Additionally, if an observed calcium score is entered the program will
provide the estimated percentile for this particular score. These reference
values are based on participants in the MESA study who were free of clinical
cardiovascular disease and treated diabetes at baseline. These participants
were between 45-84 years of age, and identified themselves as White,
African-American, Hispanic, or Chinese. The current tool is thus applicable
only for these four race/ethnicity categories and within this age range.

At this time, the risk associated with a particular calcium score is unknown.
Thus, the information in this tool cannot necessarily be used to conclude that
a patient is "high risk", but can indicate whether they have a high calcium
score relative to others with the same age, gender, and race/ethnicity.

Arterial Age Calculator

Overview

Arterial age provides a convenient transformation of coronary artery calcium
(CAC) from Agatston units to age units, to a scale more easily appreciated by
both patients and treating physicians. The arterial age for a participant is
the age at which the estimated CHD risk (modeled as a function of age) is the
same as that for the observed CAC score. Arterial age is then the
risk-equivalent of coronary artery calcium. This measure can be considered a
more easily understandable version of the CAC score (e.g. you are 55 years old,
but your arteries are more consistent with an arterial age of 65 years).

This tool will calculate an estimated arterial age (and 95% confidence
interval) given a CAC score input by the user. Optionally, one can also provide
the observed age, gender, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, smoking status,
systolic blood pressure and use of anti-hypertensive medications and obtain two
versions of estimated 10-year CHD risk based on the Framingham (NCEP) point
based equations: one using original age, and the other using estimated arterial
age. This does not apply to diabetics.